Hanna Falk to defend sprint victory in Düsseldorf

01 December 2010 13:49

Junior Gustav Eriksson, 19, has been selected for the Swedish squad sent to World Cup sprint weekend in Düsseldorf, Germany this weekend.

Rättviks' skier has impressed Swedish sprint coach Arild Monsen. "Gustav is one of several fresh, snappy juniors who made a strong impression on me and deserve to come out on the international World Cup scene," Monsen said.

Sweden will send six women and seven men to Düsseldorf which has been favorite places of Sweden's athletes. Hanna Falk broke through here with a bang last year and Swedish sprinters have celebrated many victories in the city at the Rhine.

Fast and technical skiers

Gustav Eriksson, is relatively unknown to the general public. He made his international debut in Bruksvallarna where he was second in the sprint prologue before he crashed in the semifinals and fell away from the final heat. "There are several exciting skiers behind the five in the sprint squad. Prior to Dusseldorf, I weighed between juniors Gustav Eriksson and Simon Pearson. Simon fell ill and had stomach problems and then the choice was easy," explained Arild Monsen.

Flat and curvy track requires fast and technically well equipped skaters. "I believe it is important to work with young, aggressive skiers. They are good investments in the future, "said Arild Monsen.